FINDING IT HARDER: INSIGHTS INTO EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING IN IRELAND

Early school leaving can have a profound impact on the life opportunities of those who leave the education system prematurely. This paper investigates early school leaving through the perspectives of individuals in Limerick, Ireland, who exited the mainstream education system prior to completing the Junior Certificate. Framed within Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital, the study examines how the interplay of economic, social and cultural capital shapes students’ educational experiences and influences their disengagement from formal schooling. Data were gathered through conducting six semi-structured in-depth interviews (N=6) with residents of Limerick City. The interviews were analysed via thematic analysis and the results point toward the importance of the various forms of capital in shaping the early school leaving patterns of the research participants. Two themes emerge in the informants’ discussion: ‘A Precarious Milieu: Economic Capital and Educational Disadvantage’ and ‘On the Margins: The Role of Cultural and Social Capital’. The respondents’ comments indicate that, when it came to early school leaving, the factors were multifarious and caused, in part, by poverty and social exclusion. This study suggests that a fuller understanding of the phenomenon of early school leaving in Ireland may be facilitated by qualitative approaches, specifically informed by young people who have first-hand experience of early disengagement from the education system.